


Ninteen Years Later

by DuaDelacroix



Series: Pax Aeterna Cycle [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen, Not Epilogue Compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-06-30 02:51:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19844047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DuaDelacroix/pseuds/DuaDelacroix
Summary: Epilogue AU. Draco Malfoy and his wife arrive on Platform Nine and Three Quarters to see their son, Scorpius, off for his first-year at Hogwarts. Harry and Ginny Potter are there with their son, as well as Ron Weasley, his wife, and their daughter, Rose. Nineteen years later, Hermione Granger is only a memory looked back upon with grief and love and regret - or, is she?





	1. I. November 2016

**November 2016  
** **Conjure Pointe Township**  
**Wizarding Australia**

****

“How could this happen, Draco? How could a blasted owl from Hogwarts find us all the way across the world? We live in another hemisphere entirely! Our home is Unplottable, from the second we built it, and nobody who we haven’t wanted to find us could do so – until now. Until this damned Hogwarts letter! Draco, I don’t feel safe anymore, if a Hogwarts owl can find us, despite us severing all contact with Wizarding Britain, years ago.”

“Aurelia, love, I think perhaps you’re overreacting a little bit to this –”

“Overreacting? You can’t be serious, Draco. My very valid concerns about the safety and peace of our family is not overreacting!”

“I never said your concerns weren’t valid, love. I simply said I feel you’re overreacting. Perhaps you should come back to bed and try and relax, as we talk about it.”

“I don’t want to relax, Draco! I can’t relax. Not when I know that someone in Britain knows about our son and knows enough to be able to get a Hogwarts letter to him, despite him not being a British citizen or never having been there in living memory. I truly don’t feel safe anymore, dear…”

“Aurelia, please. If not for yourself, then at least consider what getting this worked up means for the baby. You’re healthy, our daughter is healthy, but undue stress won’t mean anything good for whenever you chose to go into labor in a few weeks. So, please – come back to bed and try to calm down, my love.”

Draco Malfoy followed the frenetic pacing of his wife with worried eyes, his hoarfrost-gray eyes troubled as he watched her slender hands nervously roaming over the proud swell of her pregnancy. Aurelia adored pregnancy so much that she could be often found caressing and talking loving to her growing daughter within her womb. But, Draco had also noticed that it had become a nervous habit as of late – and, as he glanced again at the plain, emerald-ink letter that had been delivered at dawn by their family owl, he could finally understand what the nervous tick had been brought on by.  
Scorpius had turned eleven and as they had secretly, quietly feared – a Hogwarts letter had arrived with his name upon it, formally inviting him to claim his place as a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Clearly, Aurelia had been more afraid of this happening that she’d ever shared with him, for when she’d Lumos’d her wand and read who the post was addressed to – she’d instantly become panicked and had been wound up ever since.

“Draco, how can you sit there and be so calm when this is happening?”

“I’m calm because there’s no reason to panic.”

“So, now I’m panicking needlessly – I’m being hysterical? How can you say that when you just acknowledged my concerns were valid?”

Aurelia was most beautiful when she was pregnant, her body glowing and ripening with another life they’d created, but the tight expression upon her face was distracting from that beauty. Draco sighed, careful to not sound as exasperated as he felt. Instead, his voice was full of gentle love and reasonable assurance, as he reached for his wife and beckoned her towards him.

“You’re not wrong to panic or be hysterical, but all I’m asking is that you come and do so in bed. Aurelia, you’re healthy, our daughter is healthy, but this still isn’t good for you.” Draco beckoned more firmly, and Aurelia paused, considering him anxiously. “Come on, now, love. Come back into bed and let me hold you. You’re a mess and you’ve a right to be – but, you don’t have to be a mess alone and stressed out…”

Aurelia softened and nodded agreeably. Draco held his hands out, helping her carefully into bed and find a comfortable means of laying. When he gathered her into his arm, the firm swell of her pregnancy nested between them securely, Draco was surprised to find that Aurelia was trembling, her anxiety and fear was so stark. Draco gently kissed the riotous curls that she’d somehow tamed into a loose braid, his kisses so soft and attentive that after several long moments, Aurelia stopped trembling and began taking steady, calming breaths. Draco waited until she’d relaxed in his arms fully, before holding her tightly in a reassuring hug, looking down upon her with thoughtful gray eyes. 

“Would you like to talk about it, love? Tell me what’s on your mind, what has you so afraid…”

Aurelia trailed her fingertips over her baby bump and sighed.

“I don’t want Scorpius going to Hogwarts. We left Britain behind for good reason and we’ve had a beautiful, healthy life here, so far. I feel like it would be tempting fate to allow Scorpius to attend Hogwarts – it would be asking for the past to come back and haunt us and may very well put him in danger!”

“Aurelia, love, that’s not necessarily true. We don’t know that, at all.”

“Yes, we do know that. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gone to the lengths that we did to sever our connection to Britain and create brand new identities. When you finished serving your time in Azkaban, there was no hope of you being able to live a normal life without the stain of the war, and once the Ministry was cleared of Death Eaters and Voldemort’s influence, it still was impossible for me to thrive as a Muggleborn. What makes you think it will be any better for our children? What makes you think anything has changed?”

Draco didn’t have an immediate answer for that. 

The only contact he continued to have with Wizarding Britain was his parents – and Draco wasn’t sure that it was contact, so much as Lucius and Narcissa split their time between their home in Wiltshire and Draco and Aurelia’s home here in Australia. Draco and Aurelia rarely asked about Britain and those they’d left behind. Lucius and Narcissa very rarely had any news or information to offer. If it weren’t for the British accents that reminded them of their childhood and adolescence back home, Draco and Aurelia could reasonably pretend that their past had never existed in Britain and they had only come to be as the newlywed couple that had earned their Australian citizenship before their twenty-first birthdays. The beautiful life they had lived in Conjure Pointe, a wizarding metropolis in the heart of the Australian Outback, was time and world away from anything they’d experienced back in Britain and their peace was so impenetrable, they hadn’t checked in once on the progress – or, potential lack thereof – of their homeland in nearly two decades.

Neither Draco nor Aurelia had any accurate idea of what Wizarding Britain was like in the present day or if it was a society that was healthy or safe for their marriage or their family.

The stark realization of this made Draco sigh, and with an appreciative kiss to her temple, he shared as much with his troubled wife. 

Aurelia genuinely relaxed and calmed down, upon seeing that she had been heard and understood by her husband. One of the things she appreciated the most about Draco was his sincerity in listening and coming to an understanding of what she was thinking – instead of dismissing her, deriding her, or worse, making her feel as though she were doing too much. It was something that had been sorely missing in her life until her marriage to Draco and it was moment like this, moments where she felt the world spinning out of control and overwhelming her intently, that she appreciated how he was everything she had always craved but never knew how to ask for. 

“I think I agree with you, but the fact is, we can’t ignore that this letter came. We’ll have to make a decision and do something about it.”

“I’m aware.”

“What are your thoughts, then? How should we move forward, wife?”

Aurelia looked up at Draco and the protective fire that was burning her earth-brown eyes was startling, every bit as fierce as a lioness feeling threatened. “We should move forward by burning the letter to ashes, then burying the ashes. We pretend the letter never came, we celebrate the eleventh year of our son’s life with the family holiday we’ve planned to surprise him with, and we prepare for the birth of our newest daughter after Yule. We forget that Britain ever existed, continue enjoying our peace, and for the love of all that’s merciful – we keep anything to do with Britain and its poison far away from any and all of our precious babies, especially Scorpius.”

Draco smiled fleetingly at the fierceness he quietly adored in his wife.

“As nice as that sounds and as possible as most of it is, I don’t think that’s realistic, Aurelia, my love. A real answer, this time, please.”

Aurelia huffed, snuggling closer to Draco, and was quiet for a long moment as she organized her shaken, frenetic, worried thoughts.

As clearly and evenly as she could, while rubbing her beautifully full belly with steady, soothing hands, Aurelia shared: “I don’t know what we should do and that’s the real answer. I know what I want to do, I know what my intuition is telling me to do - but the problem is, I don’t know what is best, Draco. That’s what really scares me. I don’t know what is best for our child for the first time in…ever…and what does that mean that we’re on our seventh baby and I’m only just now coming upon a situation that has me doubting myself as a parent. I haven’t been afraid for a very long time and I am now – and the reason I’m afraid is because this means someone from our past has found us and they’ve found us through our child. I don’t know what to do or what this means, but what I do know is that I couldn’t survive if something happened to Scorpius. Something that could have been prevented by simply declining the temptation for our past and continuing to move forward with our future.”  
Draco softened as he listened to his wife spill her heart out to him, his own heart twisting in agreement and beating in time with her well-considered worries. 

Although they were practically melded together, Draco pulled Aurelia closer to him, the swell of their growing daughter nestled impossibly close between them, and simply held her as tightly and reassuringly as he knew how.

“What about you? How do you think we should move forward?” Aurelia asked, softly.

“I don’t blame you one bit for how you feel, that’s for certain, love.” Draco gently kissed her wild and beautiful curls, which were defiantly escaping the loose braid she’d pulled into before bed, last night.

“As I said previously, I feel that I agree with you – but, I’m not sure about fully. You’ve brought up excellent, valid points and those I do agree with. But, I’m simply not sure about the wisdom of ignoring that this happened. I agree that we don’t know what Britain is like, although as far as we understand the Second War is over with and hopefully, peace has been restored. I also agree with not blindly accepting the invitation, as if we didn’t exile ourselves from Britain – because we did, and that we did so changes everything. I suppose what I’m saying is…I agree with you, but there are still doubts that I have that keep me from agreeing, fully.”

Aurelia considered this. “What doubts do you have?” she asked, still clearing turning over his words in her mind.

“Well, for starters – I keep thinking about we were holidaying in Burkinabe when my own Hogwarts letter came, back in 1991. We had left for my birthday and weren’t due to be back until the end of July, so we were expecting the letter to be there for me when we got back but didn’t realize the time-sensitivity of it. When we did arrive back in Wiltshire, the day before the acceptance deadline, there were so many letters and two official calling cards from representatives of the Board of Governors. Hogwarts waits for an acceptance or a rejection – but, if there’s no answer at all, they will be persistent in discovering why. Father says that it is a safety measure, mainly with Muggleborns, to ensure nothing harmful or untoward has happened because of the potential trouble the arrival of a Hogwarts letter can cause. And, we have no idea if this measure still in place…”

“…and if someone were to come searching for why Scorpius Malfoy didn’t give a response to his Hogwarts letter, there would be a different set of problems entirely to worry about.” Aurelia picked up on the implications of her husband’s thoughts and wanted to begin panicking all over again.

As far as Britain was concerned, Draco Malfoy had given up his British citizenship and emigrated to Australia, never to apart of the British Wizarding World again. Whether anyone back home was aware that in his exile, he’d married and become a father, neither Draco nor Aurelia knew. What was for certain, however, would be the uproar that would come about when it was discovered who Mrs. Malfoy the younger was and all that had come out of their union – including their children.

Aurelia enjoyed the life of anonymity and peace she and Draco had cultivated, through sacrificing everything they had previously been, before coming together as their new selves in Australia.  
If someone where to come looking for them, looking for why the eleven-year-old son of Draco was not responding to his Hogwarts letter…

Aurelia began trembling all over again, fear creeping up her spine like a vine.

“Draco, I’m not sure I’d be able to cope if something were to happen that threatened or destroyed the life we built together.”

“I know, love. Trust me, I feel the same as you, and that’s where my doubts come from.” Draco sighed. “I’m at a lost for what to do, but I think I have an idea of how we can get on the right track and make the best decision for all of us.”

Aurelia snuggled deeper into Draco’s embrace, instinctively trusting whatever he was about to offer or suggest. In nearly twenty years, Draco had never led her wrong and had always ensured that her happiness and wellbeing was his primary responsibility. 

“What do you have in mind?” Aurelia asked, evenly.

Draco kissed her, indulgently, and offered: “Mother and Father will be arriving, along with Antares and Caelum, by this evening, so that we can all depart for Burkinabé as a family. Once we arrive in Burkinabé and everyone else is distracted with the holiday, I propose we talk with Mother in private and share with her what’s going on. We ask her to draw up an equation, using Arithmancy, and allow her to interpret the sum – and, we go from there. What do you think about that?”

Aurelia was silent, but Draco could tell without it being said that she was thinking.

If nothing else, the use of something that was tried and true – Arithmancy and its equations, variables, aspects, and sums – was a solid grounding she could use to help her cope with the anxiety and uncertainty that Scorpius’s Hogwarts had presented. 

Arithmancy was an ancient art that had upheld the fabric of many magical societies and civilizations, for thousands of years. It was a system of mathematics and magic that could be trusted far beyond the fallible emotions and urges of the human mind and Draco knew from experience that Aurelia would trust the information that could be gleaned from an Arithmantic sum before she’d trust herself. As it happened, Narcissa Black was one of the prodigious and skilled Arithmancer’s of her generation and every sum she had provided them with so far had been sound and led them to a safe and prosperous life. Aurelia and Narcissa did not have the ideal relationship as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, for Narcissa and her bone-deep beliefs about blood purity and magic were still and would likely always be a point of contention.

However, Arithmancy was dear to both witches and their dedication to the art was the only point of commonality they shared, besides the children and Draco.

Even if Aurelia didn’t like the idea of involving Narcissa in this issue they were facing, the answers that lay in wait for her through the use of Narcissa’s powerful skill would exceed any misgivings or unfavorable feelings she had. 

Draco waited patiently for her to think over his subtle suggestion, allowed her brilliant but fretful mind to race through all the possible outcomes and understandings of what he was suggestion, before she decided. His hands soothingly roamed the length of her body and gently worked out the knots of tension and worry he found, murmuring gentle words of reassurance and allowing his magic to reach out and cloak her in a comfort that went beyond words or actions.

After a thoughtful silence, Aurelia sighed deeply and looked up at him with those stunning earth-brown eyes of hers. Draco felt his heart skip a beat as they looked at one another deeply for a moment and after a soft kiss, Aurelia finally spoke up.

“I think I’d like that very much. I’d feel more comfortable about this if she opened a cipher around it and I’m already anxious to see the sum of her equations. There are so many variables and aspects to something like this, I wouldn’t trust either of our own skills to give us the best possible reading. Narcissa is a brilliant, world-renowned Arithmancer – she’ll be able to go deeper into any oppositions and squares and see the possible retrogrades of any conjunctions or trines, which is more than I’m capable of. Do you think she’d be willing to go over the squares and oppositions, as well as the retrogrades? That’s what truly concerns me…”

Draco smiled, vibrantly, sprinkling more feather-light kisses across the side of her face, down the curve of her neck, and back up to her full mouth. Pregnancy made Aurelia lush and soft in all the proper places and while he loved and adored her as she was – there was something about the ripeness and glow of her when she was carrying one of their children that he found worshipful. 

“Of course, she be more than happy to. If nothing else, Mother loves each of our children more than anything and if we share with her that we wish for her to cast an equation because of Scorpius, I don’t think she’d hesitate. Arithmancy is the only thing you two find peace over, so I’m sure she’ll be on her best behavior.” Draco felt a ripple of the Privacy Seal gently breaking, meaning one of the children was headed towards their bedroom, and signaled that their moment of blended intimacy and worry was coming to an end. “So, can we agree to leave the stress and worry until Mother arrives later in the evening? You and I have reached an impasse and there’s nothing that can be done until later. So, let us just enjoy the birth of our fourth-born in peace and love on him a little extra to soothe our minds, yes?”

Aurelia smiled against his lips. “Absolutely.”

Draco was filled with a rush of warmth, as a cheery knock sounded on the door as anticipated. The Privacy Seal faded, but didn’t unlock the door, and for a moment, Draco and Aurelia shared in a moment of gratitude and love as they listened to the happy chatter of one or more their children. 

This is what they escaped Britain for. 

The fundamental right to be in love, be married, create a family, and thrive in the joy and peace of it all. It was clear as could be that if either would have remained in Britain after the war, not only would none of this have come to be – but, also, they would have never known such a world of forgiveness, mercy, joy, and love could exist and was meant for them.

The bountiful life they had created from the ashes of what remained was unquestionably what they had turned their back on Wizarding Britain for. Neither Draco nor Aurelia regretted one moment of their sacrifice, of their choice to put the unthinkably powerful connection between them before anything else. Had they remained in Britain…they never would have had this –

The untouchable joy of waking up every morning to their six beautiful children – seven, once the active and alert daughter in her womb joined their family after Yule. 

With a silent, shared prayer of gratitude, Draco and Aurelia shared exchanged a fierce, loving kiss – and bid their children entry to their bedchamber, with a wand of Draco’s wand to dissolve the Privacy Seal.

To their vibrant delight, it wasn’t just one of their children, but all six of them, awake and cheerful and full of life and excitement for the day.

Corvus, their eldest child, had apparently spent the morning watching over his younger siblings with a careful, pleasant eye, for everyone was dressed for the day and well fed, if the piece of toast that baby Miranda held in her chubby fist was any indication. With a fond and infectious smile, Corvus herded the rest of the brood into the room with a cheery morning greeting. From his arms, Miranda smiled with her glowing gray eyes alight with the organic happiness of a toddler and pointed with the toast-gripped fist at the twins and the youngest boy – Corona and Vega and little Eridanus.

Corona and Vega were hauntingly beautiful reflections of one another, all golden curls and wickedly intelligent brown eyes, and they thrilled in their ability to do tandem magic, practicing it whenever possible. If the several inches he was hovering above the ground was anything to go on, Eridanus was this morning’s volunteer for the twins’ daily practice in tandem magic. Eridanus looked the least like a Malfoy, in the opinion of his family – but, when he smiled, it became clear that he had Draco’s spirit to a fault, despite his curly brown hair and Aurelia’s every feature. As his older twin sisters levitated him and spun him gently in the air so that he could perform simple acrobatics, there was no question that the youngest Malfoy boy was every bit his father’s child, his mischievous smile and wild glee echoing Draco at his freest and happiest.

Eridanus and his bold happiness could have filled the room, as he announced with the help of a Sonorous Charm that must have been the work of the twins:

“Mums and Dads and little sisters yet to be born, lend me your ears! Stop what you are doing and prepare to wish the happiest of birthdays to the birthday-est of birthday boys – Scorpius, King of the Billywigs!”

Draco and Aurelia shared a knowing grin, as Scorpius drifted into the room – a crown of captured Billywigs upon his head, which were likely responsible for the reason why he was floating several inches off the ground, being held aloft by seemingly nothing. If nothing else, their children were Australian wizarding youth and knew nothing else, for the temporary powers of levitation obtained from the sting of a captive Billywig was almost a rite of passage – and Scorpius had multiple Billywig stings upon his face, dotting the pale skin of his regal cheekbones like unusual freckles.

“Happy birthday, my beloved Scorpius Hyperion – from me and your sister, though she can’t quite speak for herself yet.” Aurelia declared, her rounded face aglow with pure happiness and the troubled gleam from earlier seeming to have disappeared for now. “I love you, sweet scorpion, and I’m proud of the wonderful eleven-year-old young wizard you’ve become.”

Scorpius beamed under his mother’s gentle love and praise. 

Out of all their children, without question, Scorpius was as much of a reflection of Draco as Corona and Vega were of one another. From his snowy-gold hair to his mercurial gray eyes, Aurelia continued to be in awe of how much Scorpius could have passed for an eleven-year-old Draco – and the only mark or touch she’d left upon her beautiful, golden miracle boy was the impossibly curly wealth of hair he had. There was no denying the curls had come from Aurelia, though the coloring was still of Draco, and as Scorpius pushed his hair back from his face and grinned at her with that impossible adorable dimple in his chin – Aurelia wondered if Draco felt as near to exploding with love and gratitude for their son and his life as she did.

The brightness of Draco’s eyes said that he did.

“Hear, hear,” Draco said, quietly. His eyes burned with pride and love, clearly remembering a time when they thought that Scorpius wouldn’t live to see the moment they were amid now and with a glowing happiness, Draco beckoned. “If it is all the same to you, the King and Queen of Dragons would like to formally present our birthday blessings to King Scorpius of the Billywigs.”

Scorpius tried to continue to regally use the power of the Billywig stings to float towards his parents’ bed at his own pace. However, with a casual flick of the wrist from Corvus, Scorpius went hurtling off his stance and landed on the foot of Draco and Aurelia’s bed with an outraged shriek. As the crown of wriggling Billywigs had sailed from his head with the force of the unexpected push, Scorpius could have only been moved by another force – and the smirk that Corvus had upon his face with every bit of Draco as his most mischievous, as he discreetly twirled his length of vine wand through his slender fingers. 

Scorpius pulled a face at his older brother but did nothing more as he scrambled to wedge himself between his parents and lay in their waiting embrace.

“Good morning, Mummy, Father.” Scorpius leaned down and kissed the rounded bump that was his unborn sister and added, “Good morning to you, as well, baby sister who doesn’t yet have a name. Thank you for the birthday wishes!”

Aurelia and Draco shared a blissful smile, before grabbing the sides of Scorpius’s slender face and showering him with noisy kisses and baby noises.

“Aw, yuck – come on, Mummy, Father. That’s gross!” Scorpius objected, turning bright red under the pleased smile. He wriggled from between his parents and flopped backwards onto the bed, his wildly curly hair tousled and that dimpled smile melting both of their hearts. “Now, as King of the Billywigs, I demand to know – what’s my birthday present this year? I’ve been patient all year and didn’t even pry this time aroudn, so I think I deserve to know as soon as possible.”

“True enough. You’ve been incredibly patient and kept your nose where it belongs, so I guess we shan’t delay revealing the surprise, any further. What say you, Mummy?” Draco winked at Aurelia, who was snuggling with Miranda contentedly. 

Miranda had recently turned two over the summer and had become aware of Aurelia’s latest pregnancy somewhere around then – and, she’d been very insistent upon her mother’s attention, as if she were still trying to come to terms with the fact that she would soon be a big sister, when the newest Malfoy was born in another few weeks.

Aurelia threaded her fingers through Miranda’s wild, brown-sugary curls and smiled at the beatific smile that Scorpius was offering, as he barely was able to contain his curiosity.  
.  
“I think he’s right and he deserves to know. What did we get Scorpius this year for his birthday, Father?” Aurelia said, sweetly.

“I’m not so sure. I think he can wait a little while longer – at least until Grandfather and Gran arrive with Auntie Antares and Caelum. He may be able to wait even longer, until we arrive at the estate in Burkinabe…”

Clever and quick as lightning, Scorpius caught on to the subtle reveal – and jumped for joy, crowing with delight. 

“Grandfather and Gran will be here! Oh, how amazing!” Vega gushed, her snowy-gold braid coming lose from its messy bun as she jumped up and down with happiness. “I’ve missed them so much!”

Corvus and Corona, however, were more thrilled about the holiday to Burkinabe. Eridanus didn’t appear to be sure which was the better part to be excited about, so settled for a mixture of both – thrilling in the tour of the Runespoor Reserves they were sure to visit and attending the scheduled Quidditch match for Burkinabe National Team finals, while jumping with just as much joy as anyone else at the prospect of spending a holiday with their beloved Grandparents. Miranda wasn’t sure what was going on or what it meant that everyone else was excited, but with her sunny personality, anyone else being happy was enough to make her overflow with happiness and infectious enthusiasm.

Aurelia and Draco allowed themselves to thrill in the joy of Scorpius pulling both into a fierce, gracious hug. “Thank you so much, Mummy and Daddy,” Scorpius declared, quietly. “You’re the best parents I could ask for, I mean it!”

As Aurelia buried her face in her son’s curls and lost herself in the love and sheer adoration she had for her child, Draco discreetly Banished the Hogwarts letter bearing Scorpius’s name to his study, where it would be taken care of and attended to later.

There would be a time for worrying about whether the past was finally catching up with them, after nineteen years of determined dedication to living a new life. But, now was not that time.

Now was the time for gratitude and joy for the beautiful life they had built together, as husband and wife. 

Britain, the Second War, the ruins that Lord Voldemort had left – that was decades and a world in the past and for now, they were safe, they were loved, and they were with those who matter the most.

Their sacredly created family.  
\--  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( **Author’s Note** : This will be a short story, somewhere around ten chapters and is a total exploration of twisted canon. Everything in canon is still as is it but isn’t and I’ve always wanted to explore alternate possibilities of the conclusions to the main story that Rowling gave in the Epilogue.  
> If you’re unclear on who Aurelia is, then be patient. If it is clear and understood who Aurelia is, the first five readers to guess correctly in the reviews who Aurelia is gets a special shout out in the coming chapters.)


	2. II. December 2016

**December 2016  
** **The Manse de Mafloy,**  
**Wizarding Burkina Faso, Africa**

Draco and Aurelia waited for as long as possible to approach Narcissa about the issue of the Hogwarts letter that had arrived for Scorpius before they’d departed for Africa.

As the end of the holiday neared and there was only one week left on their holiday in Burkina Faso, Draco discreetly shared with his mother that there was something private and important that had he and Aurelia had to discuss with her – and with no further explanation, Narcissa skillfully had arranged for a day alone with her son and daughter-in-law.

The last Sunday of their holiday saw Draco and Aurelia bidding goodbye to their children, as they were prepared and anticipating a day spent out on the countryside with their grandfather. 

Where Narcissa had taken longer than she should have to come around and accept the reality that her daughter-in-law would be a Muggleborn and the heirship of the House of Malfoy would be half-blooded, Lucius hadn’t been at all troubled. 

Aurelia had been more surprised than she could express, when upon the announcement of their sudden marriage and the pregnancy that had inspired said marriage, Lucius had given her nothing more than a calculated stare and declared that the rejuvenation of a bloodline as pure as the Malfoys with the occasional Muggleborn or half-blood of excellent quality was what kept the bloodline strong and impervious to weakness and defects over the centuries. If his daughter-in-law were to be a Muggleborn, Lucius had opined, then at least she was a Muggleborn of impressive power and preternatural intelligence, who was graciously willing to part with her mundane roots and fully embrace her new heritage as a wife of the House of Malfoy.

Lucius had been a surprisingly involved and welcoming father-in-law and an incredibly adoring grandfather. When it came to his family, which Aurelia was apart of as his son’s wife, Lucius was completely devoted and it was this dedication to embracing a progressive future that allowed Aurelia to be comfortable with the idea of leaving her children alone with their grandfather – whereas she was still working on having the same level of trust with their grandmother.

“Now, I’m hoping to don’t have to remind everyone to behave and listen to your elders, right?” Aurelia asked, with stern affection. Her hands rubbed her full and proud belly absently, as she looked over her assembled children and glowed with a worshipful love she’d never known, before Draco and their children. “Grandfather will be taking you on a very wonderful expedition to explore Mount Ténakourou and for everyone to get the most of out the trip, it is quite crucial that you listen, stay aware, and heed Grandfather, as well as your aunt and your older brother. Am I understood?”

In their own ways, each of her six children affirmed that they heard her and would honor her words. Corvus grinned with pride at being bestowed a portion of responsibility for his five younger siblings and his young uncle. Corona and Vega nodded seriously, as Corona adjusted Miranda’s weight on her hip and Vega eyed Eridanus and Scorpius protectively. Each of children were well-behaved and a joy to be around as a group, but with the addition of the younger Malfoy children – seventeen-year-old Antares and thirteen-year-old Caelum – Aurelia wanted to be certain that the gathering of two generations of Malfoy children wouldn’t be overwhelming for her father-in-law.

Lucius was only one wizard, after all, braving the rural trails of the nearby mountainside with his eight children and grandchildren. 

“We’ll be alright, Mum – everyone is looking forward to this too much to spoil it by misbehaving.” Corvus assured her, his pointed chin raised importantly as his brown eyes shone warmly.

“That’s what we want to hear, son,” Draco said, with a grin. With a brief kiss upon her cheek, Draco ushered their brood to the door of their family suite, just as a prim knock upon the door echoed throughout the foyer. A wave of his wand opened the door and his grin turned into a smile, as he looked upon his only sister. “Here’s Auntie Annie, coming to fetch you now.”

Antares scoffed with grace; her snowy features twisted with a disdain that was uncomfortably reminiscent of her ancestors of the House of Black. “Draco, please. I haven’t been Annie since I was a child and I’d appreciate you not encouraging the little ones to continue calling me such.”

“I’ll call you what I wish, snidget, and there’s very little, if anything, that you can do about it,” Draco said, with all the cheerful obnoxiousness of a loving older brother. “Where’s Caelum?”

Antares grinned. “Arguing with Father about why he has to come when he wasn’t even asked if that’s how he wanted to spend his day. He’s already dressed and ready to go, so the argument is rather pointless, but it wouldn’t be a normal day without at least one argument between the two of them…”

Draco snickered at that and Aurelia couldn’t help but grin, herself. Caelum was more of a Black than he was Malfoy, right down to his inky-dark hair and bright blue eyes, and it was forever a point of dissension between father and son. Aurelia tried not to draw direct parallels between her young brother-in-law and his long-dead aunt…but, sometimes, it was hard. She rather imagined that Lucius had the same difficulty and wondered if they’d ever grow out of the troublesome stage, where all they did was argue and disagree with one another.

“Well, I suppose you’d better get back there, before Caelum manages to get himself thrashed,” Draco said, with another snicker. “Here are all of our lot, dressed and prepared for a day of Wizarding adventuring with the family. We’ll be here at the manse with Mother but try and keep them occupied until we come for them.”

Antares nodded, happily. “You two enjoy your day without these little doxies under foot and we’ll be back later. Ta!”

With a sweep of her long blonde hair, Antares ushered her nieces and nephews out of the door and Draco and Aurelia were left with silence and the contented wriggling of their unborn daughter.

“Well, I suppose that now that the children are out of our hair, we’d better prepare for our brunch with Mother, yes?” Draco declared, after taking the opportunity to properly snog his wife, now that there was a distinct lack of children around to snag their attention from each other. Aurelia giggled as if they were once again young and bright-eyed newlyweds and simply off the infectiousness of that alone, Draco snogged her once more, his hands wandering pleasantly over her full and ripened body. “I’ll feel so much better once we’ve talked with her.”

Aurelia nodded. “I’m anxious for us to finally have this conversation with her and move towards a solution. I know I’m getting closer to my due date, so the sleeplessness is part and parcel of it – but, I’m sure a lot of what keeps me awake at night is that damned letter we still don’t know what to do about.”

Draco held her reassuringly for a very long moment, before kissing her soundly for the last time. “Mother will be here soon and all we have to do is lay everything at her feet. I promise, she’ll know what to do.”

Aurelia made a noise of agreement, unsure if she truly believed this. Draco couldn’t be faulted for his unbreakable confidence in his mother’s abilities, though – Narcissa had been responsible for orchestrating the two most important feats of defiance against Voldemort during the Second War, through the faith in the accuracy of her Arithmantic sums and the outcomes they predicted, if she were to take a certain path. Whatever sums Narcissa would discover when opening a cipher on her grandson, Aurelia was prepared to trust it.

What she was rarely prepared to trust was Narcissa herself and their undeniably rocky relationship.

“Come now, stop worrying, my golden love,” Draco said, as her thoughts must have taken over her face. “I’ve drawn you a bubble bath with all your favorite oils and now that the children are gone, I want you to take the opportunity to soak the tub, rest, and just have a little while to yourself. Mother won’t be here for several hours and I want us to make the most of this little break we have, while we’re on holiday.”

Aurelia smiled, a glowing warmth spreading through her as she allowed her husband to guide her to their bedchamber. As often as she was right, so was her husband, and there was much truth to his statement. There weren’t many times where they were allowed uninterrupted alone time, with rising seven children, their marriage, and their careers to attend to. However, moments like this – where it was just the two of them, with the only third presence safely inside of her womb – did come along and when they did, Draco was adamant that they enjoy it to the fullest. 

Jasmine and sandalwood and patchouli filled the air, as Draco helped her to shrug out of her nightgown and held her hand, while he assisted the fullness of her pregnant body in settling into the bathtub.  
“Rest that beautiful mind of yours for a while and I’ll be back soon, my love.” Draco leaned down and kissed her soundly. “I love you, Aurelia Jean Malfoy, the golden love of my life – and I promise, as your husband, everything will ultimately be alright.”

Overwhelmed with emotion and feeling more peaceful than she had in a while, Aurelia smiled with bright brown eyes, and returned his kiss, ardently.

“I love you just as much, if not more, Draco Ouranos Malfoy, the lord and love of my life. I trust in you and your promise that all will be well.”

Aurelia settled back into the endless warmth of her bathwater, which was indeed exactly what her taxed and weary body needed, now that she was nearing the end of her pregnancy. Without another care or worry, she closed her eyes as the bathroom door closed softly and enjoyed the gentle rise of the Mermish symphony that began playing from the sound system. 

All was well – and if it wasn’t, she trusted her husband and believed in his promise that it soon would be.

\-- 

“It is my hope that this private brunch was called because you miss my undivided attention, son. I’d certainly be very out of sorts, if we came all the way to this beautiful country to enjoy a wonderful family holiday, only to have it spoiled near the end with distressing news.”

“Of course not, Mother,” Draco said, sweetly, as he welcomed his mother into their suite with a warm hug. “We wouldn’t dream of spoiling this holiday that you so lovingly planned for us as a family. The bad news we have will be shared with after we’ve ended our holiday, not near the end of it.”

Aurelia rolled her eyes with fond affection at the cheekiness of her husband. With a polite smile, Aurelia accepted a gracious embrace from her mother-in-law, not quite warm enough to be called a hug but a far cry from the cold distance of their earlier years. 

“Draco is simply being obnoxious, Mother Malfoy,” Aurelia said, the formal, noble address for her mother-in-law far more comfortable than any other attribute that she could have used. “There is no bad news, but there is an interesting issue that has come up that we could use your wisdom on.”

In another lifetime, the thought of calling Narcissa anything at all would have been unthinkable for many reasons. However, with the death of her old self and the birth of Aurelia Jean Malfoy, she could say that much like anything else, life with Draco had made the unthinkable a pleasant part of her reality.

In this lifetime, there was nothing unusual about walking with Draco and Narcissa into the cozy kitchen nook that offered a stunning view of Mount Ténakourou from the window. A beautiful brunch spread had been prepared by the house-elves that kept The Manse running smoothly and after the relaxing bath she’d had and the careful attentions of the house-elves to her mass of uncontrollable hair, Aurelia could say she was more than ready to enjoy the wonderful meal with her husband and his mother.

Draco somehow managed to seat both Aurelia and Narcissa comfortably, before seating himself, and with a flick of his wand, the brunch began to serve itself with the use of magic.

“Whatever the reason for the visit, I must say, I’m happy for it.” Narcissa declared, as she accepted a serving of French toast from the floating platter. “I’m concerned that you to have an issue, as dear Aurelia put it, but pleased none the less that we can have this time together.”

Aurelia and Draco shared a gentle smile.

Narcissa had been pleasant and deeply cordial with Aurelia on this holiday, so far, but sometimes, such a mood was only for public consumption. Her pleasantries didn’t always follow her into private interactions with Aurelia and a part of what made their relationship so rocky was the unpredictable twists and turns of Narcissa’s feelings towards her only daughter-in-law. However, for the moment, Narcissa appeared to be a genuine mood and the clear indication of this was encouraging.

After a little while had passed and most of the basic conversation topics had been exhausted, the first round of brunch was over with and Draco waved his wand to stop the procession of the meal and have a tea service appear, instead. 

Narcissa looked shrewdly between Draco and Aurelia, as a pleasant silence fell over them and they all took a moment to reflect on the quiet, stunning view of the beautiful mountainside the family estate was located near. 

“Well, children – what matter has fallen upon you and your house, which you could use my motherly wisdom on?” Narcissa asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

Draco smiled. “You do love the role of the House Matriarch, don’t you?”

“Of course, I do, son.” Narcissa said with the very smile she’d given Draco. “Now, tell me: is this about one of you, one of the grandchildren, or the baby? Come now, don’t make me anxious, dears…”  
Aurelia was the one to Summon the Hogwarts letter from their trunk, the letter landing smoothly in her waiting hand, and without a word, Aurelia passed it along to her mother-in-law and waited. 

Narcissa made a quiet noise as she looked at the letter, the emerald-ink proudly bearing Scorpius’s name. Her mercurial blue eyes, the temperament of which she’d given to Draco despite not passing along the coloring, had gone from a rich indigo-blue to a pale, pastel blue and Aurelia knew that Narcissa was feeling as many conflicted emotions as she and Draco had, if not for the same reasons.

“In a different world, I imagine Scorpius receiving his letter would be cause for great happiness and celebration,” Narcissa said thoughtfully, tracing a perfectly manicured finger over the sand-dried emerald ink that had been a symbol of Hogwarts for generations. “Instead, I can only imagine that instead of either of these sentiments, instead the both of you are overwhelmed and confused.”

“Anger is slowly creeping into the pictures, the longer we think about it and the more we realize the implications of it.” Draco sighed, shaking his head bitterly, as he added: “We thought we’d escaped this because neither Corvus nor the twins received a Hogwarts letter when they turned eleven. We thought we were especially safe, because The Nest House is Unplottable and we paid a specialist for those wards, specifically tied into our family’s bloodlines so that the protection covered us even when we weren’t on the property. But, still – this letter found us.”

“The letter found Scorpius, if we are to be honest.” Aurelia looked at her mother-in-law openly, distress in her expressive brown eyes, as she continued, “Nobody in Britain is supposed to know about any of our children, Mother Malfoy. Draco surrendered his British citizenship and has not visited Britain since doing so and I am supposed to be dead, buried with a proper and touching funeral by everyone who knows me or knew of me. As far as everyone is concerned, we are memories of the British Wizarding World and for us to be alive and well, married with all our children, is simply unthinkable – but, now, our son gets his Hogwarts letter? How is that possible?”

Narcissa reached over and gripped Aurelia’s trembling hand with a firm reassurance. 

“Don’t get yourself all worked up, dear. I know it is easier said than done at this point in your matresence, but here in this moment, you are safe, and Scorpius is safe as well, so there’s no need to feel threatened.”

Aurelia was heartened by the rare affection from her mother-in-law, a truly lovely expression that was few and far between. Aurelia picked up upon the fact that Narcissa tended to be softer and more accepting of her whenever she was pregnant, but she didn’t allow such a truth to bother her in a moment like this. She was afraid for her son, her unusual and special little boy, and right now, their only source of wisdom or resolution was in the frosty witch who she never guessed in a million years would end up as her mother-in-law.

Draco looked upon this interaction with raw love. The two most important women in his life sharing a rare peaceable moment always something he treasured.

Narcissa continued to hold Aurelia’s hand with motherly affection, as she sipped at her tea and reflected over what they’d shared.

“To begin with, I believe the reason why Scorpius received a Hogwarts letter and not Corvus or the twins is simple – which is possibly why you’re overlooking it.” Narcissa smiled, briefly, and at their expectant looks, she continued: “Scorpius was born in Britain, while the rest of his siblings where born in Australia or overseas. A core qualification for enrollment at Hogwarts is British citizenship, which the Ministry for Magic defines as earned through permanent residency or birth on British soil.”

Aurelia and Draco shared a look.

“Scorpius was born in Britain, yes…but we thought we avoided the registration of his birth, because Aurelia gave birth to him at the Manor.” Draco frowned at his mother, as he asked, “Were you mistaken when you told us the Manor had been rendered Unplottable?”

“I wasn’t mistaken. Our Unplotted Wards are the finest in Europe, casted by your former classmate, Blaise Zabini – and that young man is already a Master Wardsmith, as prodigious as his mother ever was.” Narcissa gave Draco a sharp look, as she continued, “The Manor is Unplottable and was Unplottable when Aurelia unexpectedly went into labor. However, now that his Hogwarts letter has indeed arrived, it means that the Manor being Unplottable wasn’t enough and despite our best efforts, Scorpius and his birth were still registered by the Ministry for Magic. His Hogwarts letter arriving confirms that he is British citizen and therefore, because of his citizenry, Britain has full access to the imprint he left upon the country’s meridian system at his birth. The imprints on the meridian system are what the Quill registers at Hogwarts and what allows a letter to reach them, no matter what – because the imprint is a direct external access point to a witch or wizard’s life force, allowing authorized magic to reach them anywhere on the planet Earth.”

Draco exhaled sharply, as if he’d been punched in the gut, and Aurelia sighed a bit tremulously, tears gathering in her eyes as the startling news was processed.

Scorpius having been born in Britain was a complete accident, an unfortunate consequence brought on by a medical emergency. If Draco and Aurelia hadn’t have had to travel internationally through the Global Floo Network and thus be exposed to the intense magic required to connect the Floo System from one part of the world to another, she would have never been in premature labor by the time they’d come through the unregulated Floo Connection at Malfoy Manor. 

Everything had been tried to arrest Aurelia’s labor and keep their unborn son from being born three months early, but nothing had worked. Nothing had been effective.

On a cold and bitterly stormy November morning in Draco’s childhood, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy had been the only one of Draco and Aurelia’s children born on British soil – and ever since then, they’d been secretly afraid that one day, the unavoidable event would come back to haunt them.

According to what Narcissa had shared, such a day had finally arrived.

“Who knows about Scorpius, Mother?” Draco asked, a touch numbly. When Narcissa didn’t answer, continuing to hold Aurelia’s hand comfortingly and looking out the window reflectively, Draco brought his fist down on the table sharply, rattling their tea service. “Mother, this is not the time for reticence. Aurelia and I deserve an answer!”

“Due to public record, all anyone knows is that you, Draco, have a son that was born Wiltshire, England on November 5th, 2005 and that is all.” Narcissa finally shared. Clearly, this wasn’t a recent development as Narcissa seemed to be sharing a well-known, well-practiced explanation about her eldest child’s life and whereabouts after the war. “Because you surrendered your citizenship and we’ve made it clear you’d decided to start a new life overseas after your parole was concluded, the simple assumption is that you’ve been quietly living your life overseas and you’re presumably married and settled down with a child, visiting Britain discreetly because we still remain there.”

Draco and Aurelia shared a look, a litany of thoughts and emotions silently exchanged and well understood, after nearly twenty years of marriage.

“Are you sure, Mother Malfoy? Are you sure nobody knows anything more or anything of detail about Draco and his son, as it is known?” Aurelia asked, gripping her mother-in-law’s hand tightly.

Narcissa nodded, firmly. “While I sent my younger children overseas for their education and limited their participation in British Wizarding society until their majority, Lucius and I are still very much involved in the daily life of the British Wizarding World and have a wide influence and reach. We have carefully and meticulously controlled the public perception of Draco after the war and for the past eighteen years, it has remained solid.”

“Nobody knows of his wife or that he has any other children?” Aurelia pressed.

“How could they?” Only Narcissa could make something as inelegant as a shrug seem like the pinnacle of graciousness, as she elaborated with ease: “Whatever marriage might exist didn’t occur in Britain or to a British citizen – therefore, it is not a matter of public record, as Scorpius’s birth unfortunately happens to be. We don’t speak on our daughter-in-law, not even to confirm if we have one, and Antares and Caelum are well trained in the art of discretion and protecting the family image, especially as our younger children who were born to us after the experience of the Dark Lord’s defeat. The same with any other children he may or may not have. Nothing that is not public record can be confirmed or denied because public record is all there is to go on.”

“So, as far as anyone is concerned, even those who’d decide to look deeper,” Draco began, thoughtfully. “I may or may not be married, but I’m definitely a father of a son who is old enough to go to Hogwarts – an invitation I may or may not accept, because my family and I live overseas and neither my wife nor myself are even British citizens, though our son appears to be because of his birth in Wiltshire.”

“Nobody knows who Draco’s wife is and if they do know he has a wife, the last person they’d expect her to be is – ” Aurelia tripped over her words, seemingly unable to speak of her old life and who she used to be – not here, as she lived a life so different from who her former self would have ever been. “If they do know that Draco has a wife, if she is found to be Aurelia Malfoy, the only person that would lead back to would be Aurelia Jean Gray – which is my maiden name and the only other name I’ve gone by besides my married name. Aurelia Gray Malfoy wouldn’t be cause for suspicion or interest. Aurelia Malfoy is an Australian witch, whose only connection to Britain is because of her husband and his parents, and apparently, because of her son’s birth at her husband’s childhood home.”

“That is all anyone knows and all anyone can confirm,” Narcissa declared, confidently. “No matter how hard they look, no matter how hard they try, the only traces they can confirm, or follow are those very plain facts– and everything else turns up a deliberate dead end.”

When laid out so simply and clearly, both Draco and Aurelia had to admit that there was less to be anxious about than they feared.

“Strangely enough, I feel better, now that our worst fears are confirmed, and we know what the outcome of it being realized is.” Aurelia said, after a thoughtful silence had stretched between the three of them. Hunger began to gnaw at her again and seeming to pick up on her thoughts, Draco waved his wand and directed brunch to commence serving itself again. 

Draco smiled gently at her, taking a serving of eggs and rashers for himself. “Believe it or not, I’m perfectly alright with the apparent public perception of this and feel fairly impressed by how well we could use this to our advantage.”

Narcissa nodded approvingly.

“Be that as it may, seeing as how I’m not a Slytherin and will have a far harder time with how to properly field said advantage, I believe the only advantage I’m interested in is the advantage that is foretold by a solid Arithmantic sum,” Aurelia said, which earned a sincere smile from her mother-in-law. 

“Wisely stated, daughter-in-law,” Narcissa said, warmly. “Am I to take your statement, dear Aurelia, as permission to open a cipher upon my grandson?”

The respect and affection in asking before performing a reading on their child was indicative that they’d reached another level of closeness with Narcissa and this was not lost upon either Draco or Aurelia.

When Draco eloped with Aurelia, his parents had been hurt by being excluded and scandalized in his choice of bride – but, Lucius had come around as soon as Draco had shared that Aurelia was pregnant, while Narcissa had felt betrayed instead. Draco had understood her anger and pain in being informed well after the fact that her only son was married, her daughter-in-law was pregnant, and that she’d have a grandchild – especially a socially horrifying two years after giving birth to her second child, her later-in-life daughter, Antares. He had apologized for that sincerely and made it clear that he knew he’d had to earn his parents’ forgiveness and rebuild their relationship.

However, what had become a bitter point of contention between Draco and Narcissa and had damaged their relationship for several long years, had been Narcissa and her stubborn refusal to surrender her blood prejudiced and accept that her family no longer ascribed to the pureblood supremacist ideals that she’d held dear since birth. 

Draco and Narcissa had endured a fractured relationship since his marriage to Aurelia and the birth of Corvus, while Aurelia and Narcissa still struggled with a frosty cordiality that only worked harmoniously when they held fast to the formality of their roles as Lady of the House and the Heir’s wife. 

The passing of time was the only thing that had healed and bridged the relationship between Draco and Aurelia and Narcissa and it was moments such as this that marked the progress of the complicated and continuously evolving relationship they had within their family. 

With a soft smile that was a true and honest expression of the sincere affection that she felt for her husband’s mother and her children’s grandmother, Aurelia reached over and squeezed her mother-in-law’s hand, fondly. 

“You absolutely have our permission. Draco and I have acceptable proficiency in Arithmancy, but neither of us are have mastery in it, as you do. Mother Malfoy, I would feel so much better if you were the one to open the cipher on Scorpius and give us the sums and all the knowledge thereof, because your skill is who we ultimately trust our son – your grandchild – with.”

Draco nodded, fiercely. “I agree with Aurelia, completely, Mother.” 

Narcissa seemed to be glowing under the strength of their praise and sincerity. As she approached her sixtieth birthday in the coming months, Narcissa seemed to grow more focused on her family and her focus on her family was providing her with a much-needed healing. Draco and Aurelia had been independent in the raising of their brood, mostly because they were so far away from their homeland but more so because they’d made the conscious decision to stay hidden and only rely upon each other as husband and wife. For the pair to ask help from her directly, going so far as to confide in her and seek her guidance, clearly meant a great deal to Narcissa – and Draco and Aurelia could tell.

“According to this letter, a response is mandated no later than July 31st of the coming year. With several months ahead of us before you must give a final answer, we have plenty of time to explore as many equations as possible and get the fullest understanding of all existing sums.” Narcissa looked fondly at the swell of Aurelia’s womb and continued, “Whenever our newest granddaughter is born, Lucius and I will make a visit to Australia and spend the holidays with you all. By then, I should have all my equations in order, and I can share with you the sums and my research upon the sums. How does that sound, children?”

Draco and Aurelia shared a smile with each other, pleased that this brunch had gone far better than either had hoped.

“We’ll be happy to have you and Father, especially so we can introduce you to your newest granddaughter.” Draco said, with an infectious grin. “We’ll prepare your rooms for your when we get back next week and you’ll just have to be on the lookout for our news that Aurelia has gone into labor.”

“The postpartum period will be so much more bearable with another witch around,” Aurelia said, gently, and was gratified to see Narcissa’s eyes grow bright with anticipation and affection. “The children will be thrilled to have Gran around when they get home from school and I’d love to have another set of hands to help me love on and take care of all our babies.”

Narcissa pressed her hands together, glowing with a life that she hadn’t had when she’d come to their suite a while ago. Outside of her husband, her children, and her grandchildren, Arithmancy was the only thing in this world that truly gave life to the usually chilled and controlled witch – and if their own attempts to open a cipher and calculate an equation had been exhausting, difficult, and draining, Draco and Aurelia both knew that this would be one powerful, complicated project. Instead of a challenge, Narcissa saw a delight opportunity to deepen her skill – and there was no better motivation to be as thorough and craft as much power into this equation as possible, because the grounding variable was none other than one of her grandsons. 

“That settles it, then! When we’ve returned from this holiday, I’ll open a cipher and begin the equations on my Scorpius, and by the time we get the news that we have another beautiful little granddaughter, I should be finished with my drafts and be ready to share them with you when we arrive in Conjure Pointe.”

“Thank you so much, Mother Malfoy,” Aurelia said, as Draco echoed the sentiment with an affectionate kiss to his mother’s delicate, slender hand.

“My family is the most important thing to me and after nearly having it taken once, I’ll do anything to be sure it never happens again.” Narcissa vowed, a hail of sparks coming from her wand at the intensity of her words, which lay on the table beside her.

Draco and Aurelia exchanged a startled look, as they felt a pulse of magic bloom through the air.

“Now, then! What shall we do with the rest of our time together as mother and son and daughter-in law, since Lucius and the children are blessedly away?”  
\--  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( **Author’s Note** : I don’t know about you, but I’m having fun twisting canon like a pretzel. The challenge I gave myself for this story is to take only what is present in the Epilogue and twist it, with explanations for those twists providing the AU of this story. While there will be clear and obvious changes to canon as it was confirmed and further elaborated on (for example, I use a lot of facts from Pottermore, which I consider an extension of canon), this story will be as closely match canon as possible –
> 
> The only unknown is the path I’m going to take you on to get there!
> 
> Thank you again for the amazing response to this story! This is my first foray into fanfiction after a ten-year hiatus and I’m very much enjoying my return to one of my favorite pastimes – HP fanfiction!)


	3. INTERLUDE I: Bless the Blood

**Interlude** : _Bless The Blood_

“By the blood of my ancestors before me and for the blood of my descendants after me, I hereby christen thee Titania Narcisse, daughter of my heir, heiress of my blood. Bless the blood of Titania, so sayeth I as the Lord.”

The words were an oath, an invocation, and a prayer all in one, as Lucius cut his palm neatly with the ceremonial knife. 

His hand began to pearl with blood instantly, his prompt to make the seal – and, with an affectionate smile pulling at his lips, Lucius gently pressed his open palm upon the forehead of the newborn cradled in Narcissa’s arms. His hand continued pearling with blood as he gently touched the baby’s wrists, her throat, and the bottom of her feet, the completing touches to her feet making her wiggle most adorably in her sleep. 

Narcissa was beaming with an unexpected happiness, as she allowed Lucius to gently take the baby from her embrace and accepted the knife from him to take her turn.

“By the blood of my Lord, so carried in my womb by birthing his Heir, I bear witness to the christening of my Lord Husband’s blood upon Titania Narcisse. I bear witness to Aurelia Jean’s birth of Titania for my Heir, as I birthed my Heir for my Lord. I bear witness to Titania Narcisse as the heiress of my Heir, the heiress of my Lord, and the heiress of the blood of the House of Malfoy. I bear witness to the christening of thee Titania Narcisse, daughter of my Heir, heiress of my Lord, so sayeth I as the Lady.”

Narcissa could have been described as glowing, as she cut her thumb as neatly as Lucius had cut his palm and touched her thumb to the exact places her husband had touched as she had held their granddaughter. Her thumb tingled as her blood came in contact with the blood Lucius had left behind and it pulled a warm smile from her already happy face.

The burst of glowing light that enveloped Lucius and Narcissa as they held the newly christened baby in their arms was brilliant, unearthly, and stunning –

And, despite this being the seventh time they’d allowed Lucius and Narcissa to perform the ancient pureblood blessing upon a child of theirs, Draco and Aurelia would forever remain amazed at the rush of magic and love and pure power that radiated from the completion of Christening Seal.

Aurelia was overflowing with a feeling of peace and completion she couldn’t describe, as Lucius and Narcissa came towards her with her newborn daughter, the brightness of Draco’s eyes clearly sharing that he felt the same. 

Lucius and Narcissa came to a stop before them and looked at each evenly, before declaring as one: “By the blood of the Lord and the witness of the Lady, allow me to introduce Titania Narcisse, the heiress of your blood, the daughter of your creation. May our ancestors be pleased, may your lives be full, and may our descendants be inspired.”

Aurelia opened her arms eagerly to receive Titania into her arms and Lucius proudly eased his granddaughter into her mother’s embrace.

“Welcome to the House of Malfoy, little Titania Narcisse,” Draco murmured reverently, as he pulled Aurelia against him and thrilled in the peace he felt while holding his wife and their newborn daughter in his arms. “Your mummy and I are so happy to finally meet you and I know your brothers, sisters, aunt, and uncle will feel the same. What say you we go an introduce to the mad lot, yes?”

Titania made the most adorable noise, as she snuggled deeper into the warmth of her mother’s bosom.

“I believe that’s a yes, love,” Aurelia said, with an infectious smile. “Off we go!”

The Lord and Lady of the House of Malfoy ascended from the ceremony chamber first, followed by the Heir and his wife. 

As they crossed the protective wards of the ceremony chamber and the magical vibrations of the household could be felt again, the formality and austerity demanded by such a powerful magical ritual began to fade – and it was with loving, excited smiles that they stepped into the corridor where they were eagerly awaited.

“Well, what’s her name?” 

“What’s our baby sister’s name, Mummy, Father?”

“I can feel her magic now, just like I can everyone else!” 

“I’ll be she’s named after a moon like Miranda or a constellation like Scorpius or Vega…”

“You won’t know her name if you don’t quiet yourselves and listen up!” Draco declared and almost all at once, the chatter died down and several pairs of attentive eyes were upon him. With a grin, he looked fondly at his children and sister and brother, his heart warmed by the gathering of all those he loved in this one place for this golden moment. “Grandfather and Grandmother have completed the ceremony and your sister – and niece – has officially be named.”

Lucius gave his children and grandchildren a smile that only could come from a thoroughly besotted father and grandfather, as he announced: 

“As the Lord Malfoy, it is my pleasure and my pride to introduce to you the newest addition to our bloodline, Titania Narcisse Malfoy – daughter of Draco and Aurelia, granddaughter of Lucius and Narcissa.”

Draco and Aurelia were immensely thankful for the creation of infant-safe Sound-Sleep Charms and their gentle application of them to Titania before the ceremony. Titania slept unaware of how loved and adored she was, unaware of the wealth of older siblings and an aunt and uncle who would give the world for her, just as she would assuredly grow to one day adore and love her family enough to want to give them the world in return. 

A happy cacophony of noise broke out with the formal announcement and all at once, three generations of Malfoys began to celebrate with love, the newest, smallest, and by far, most precious member of their family.


End file.
